La Cité des Enfants Perdus- The City of Lost Children

The movie "The City of Lost Children" is about a scientist, Krank,who cannot dream. He sends out his henchmen t/kidnap children to venture into their dreams and steal them. Yet every time, it is a nightmare. He ends up crying at the end of every nightmare and does not understand why. He has a brain in a box that helps him with his experiments.

When Krank steals One's, an ignorant strongman who once was a whale hunter, little brother, One seeks the help of some orphaned children. These are controlled by the cyclops, men who can not see and have a telescope attached to their left eye. An orphan named Crumb runs away with One to help him defeat Krank.
But Crumb is being followed by these evil twins that "care" for the orphans. They make them steal jewels and money from neighbors and have to turn in a good amount or they are sent to the "hole". The twins catch up with Crumb and One and try to poison One with a potion from a flea that will make him kill Crumb.

But the flea master turns the flea onto the twins and they are killed in their own death trap they set up for One and Crumb. One and Crumb finally are able to get to Krank's lab on an island far away in the water.

They rescue all the children from Krank's possession. Even his little brother right before Krank stole his dreams.

This movie was filmed in 1995 and directed by Marc Caro and Jean- Pierre Jeunet. It stars Ron Perlman as One, Daniel Emilfork as Krank, and Judith Vittet as Crumb/ Miette. The film wasnominated 10 times for awards and won two. One for Best Production Design from Cesar Awards in 1996 and the other for best sound editing at Golden Reel Award in 1996.

Questions:

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

Overall this film was very good. It was intriguing and interesting and i have never seen a movie plot like that before. But some things were quite confusing. Maybe because it was a french film but I didn't understand the whole idea of a city on water. And the fact that it wasn't explained annoyed me. I feel that if I was to watch it again, I would catch things I didn't in the first time I watched it. But in general I loved the movie and would recommend it.

Was this film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how? If no, why not?

I wouldn't say this movie is the exact meaning of aesthetically beautiful because the scene and plot were not happy and blissful. They were gray and dark and gloom. Children were stolen and a man could not dream.

How does the film compare to an American film of the similar genre? How is it different?

I have never seen a film like this one before. The plot was so creative and different. Yes there are orphan movies where the kids find another "parent" in this case One.

What does the film show about the French culture? Be specific?

The film shows that French directors and film writers have a very open mind and like to take risky attempts in film making. Not too many american directors wouldn't feel comfortable stepping into that sort of comfort zone. The movie was so different and strange and yet amazing that i couldn't stop watching it.

Le Trou (The Hole)

Le Trou is a film based on José Giovanni’s book Le Trou. This movie was filmed in black and white in 1960. It tells the story of how five prison inmates plan to escape.

It opens up with an inmate being moved to a cell with four others planning an escape. The four were very friendly (very French, right?) and take him in immediately. After they feel comfortable with the newbie they inform him about their plan. They will go underground. They dug until they break through to the underground chambers. From there, they made their way to the prison sewers. Then, they dug a tunnel to the main sewers, under the city. They find a manhole to climb out of into the streets of Paris. However, they do not make it out. They got found out.

I believe the prisoner that moved cells was a “plant” sent by the prison director, because one of the inmates in that cell already escaped three times before. He could have told the director about their escape plan.

The five inmates of Le Trou were Roland, Geo, Manu, Vosselin “Monseigneur”, and Claude. Roland was the leader of the group. He was the one that had escaped before and he thought up the escape plan. Geo was the laid back, relaxed guy that just went with the flow. Manu was the tough guy. Monseigneur was the funny guy of the group. Claude was the prisoner that moved cells to the one with Roland, Geo, Manu, and Monseigneur.

Le Trou was a very well made drama. Not only was it about prisoners’ attempt at escape, it was about life in a prison. Throughout the film, difficulties of being in a prison arose. One I liked was that the plumbers stole their cigarettes while they were exercising in the prison yard. When they found out, they called the prison director in and said that the faucet wasn’t fixed just to get their cigarettes back. When the plumbers came, the inmates showed them not to mess with their stuff again. Only, they did it in the French way, with slaps.

I believe that Jacques Becker, the director, did very well adapting this film from the book. Strangely, he died shortly after shooting for Le Trou ended. An interesting thing about him was he used unknowns to play the parts of the main characters. The star actor of Le Trou was basically a non-actor. Jacques Becker took Marc Michel, the star, and made him into an actor.

One thing I noticed was that he used a lot of close-ups. I think that he did that to show the emotions the characters were showing. That is a very good technique and I think it is very French. Le Trou was entered in the 1960 Cannes Film Festival, but didn’t win.

Did you like the film? Why or why not?

Yes, I liked this film because it was entertaining throughout all of it. Many movies have dull spots; Le Trou does not. It was very elaborate, too, which I liked. The movie had many sub-plots and other story-lines involving the inmates. One I remember was that Geo didn’t want to leave because his mother was a nervous wreck. He knew that if he escaped, the police would have went straight to her and would have gotten a heart attack. He wanted to stay to help his mom.

Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?

I believe Le Trou was beautiful because of the sub-plots. The one mentioned above was beautiful. Another sub-plot was why Claude was sent to prison. He was imprisoned because his wife sued him because she claims he shot her. Claude says that he and his wife were fighting and she pulled a gun on him. While he was trying to take it away from her, it went off and hit her in the shoulder. She won the suit and he was sent to jail. After a couple weeks, Claude’s wife’s sister came and visited him and she said that his wife sobs at night for him. She never wished for him to leave her forever.

How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How it is different?

Le Trou is very similar to an old prison/drama. It contained all the main elements: complex characters, a small cell, and an escape plan. I think an American Le Trou would not have gone too in-depth with the characters. We like to keep things simple. I also think that an American Le Trou would have less than five inmates, maybe three. Us, Americans, want less dialogue between the characters and more action. Fewer characters would do just that. Le Trou reminded me of The Great Escape with Steve McQueen. That movie was about American troops captured in a German camp planning an escape. They dug a tunnel just like in Le Trou.

What does this film show about French culture?

Le Trou showed how polite the French are even in undesirable situations like prisons. The guards and inmates weren’t rude at all like in the American jail movies. The guards were polite and courteous. The prison director was the nicest of them all. Probably because he had the highest paycheck, but that is beside the point. I believe that French culture is all about being courteous towards others.

Joyeux Noel: Merry Christmas

Joyeux Noel is a movie that represents the Christmas truce on December 25, 1914. It took place on Christmas Eve. The people that were included in this truce was the French, Scottish and the Germans. In the real Christmas truce there were British troops instead of the Scottish.

The film begins with the scene of soldiers from Scotland, Germany and France cheering and ecstatic about the declaration of the start of World War I. They cheered that "Finally they would have some excitement in their lives", but they had no idea what gruesome and pain the war would bring to them.

They traveled to the Western Front and began their path to destruction. The next scene shows the dirty and tight trenches which contained the soldiers from all of the countries involved in the war. Many people were injured and killed throughout the fighting. The soldiers became cold, weary and miserable. A woman, Anna (played by Diane Kruger), who performed in the Berlin Opera had a lover, Nikolaus Sprink (played by Benno FÜrman) that was fighting in the war and she wanted to be able to spend time with him on Christmas Eve and also to be able to bring cheer to the distraught soldiers. She got a pass to be able to visit the trenches and war front and to spend one night with her Nikolaus. While this was happening the Kaiser sent out Christmas trees along with decorations to the German's trenches to bring a sense of Christmas Cheer.




When Anna arrived, her and Nikolaus spent time together and discussed what the future holds for them. Anna and Nikolaus also sang for the Kaiser's son at the private Christmas party. When Nikolaus returned to the trenches later that night, he sang for his fellow soldiers as well. He then took a potentially fateful step and stepped onto "no man's land" where the battlefield contained many lost lives and began to sing to all troops while carrying a Christmas tree. At first, the soldiers were confused and wondered why he was risking to be killed, but they soon caught on to the meaning of his venture onto the "no man's land".


The generals from each troop had a small meeting and agreed that there would be a Christmas truce that meant all soldiers would cease fire for one night and enjoy and peaceful Christmas eve.


All of the men gathered onto "no man's land" and shared photos of their family, alcohol and their personal lives. They all realized that there are people behind all of the military clothing and weapons and that they were killing people who has lives and families. They continued the night with a performance from Anna and then a Christmas sermon from the pastor. After the clock striked midnight, everyone said there good bye's and wished their fellow soldiers the best of luck. Many dreaded the next day to come which would contain killing the people they have now become friends with. Soldiers went back to their trenches and wrote to their families about the peaceful and beautiful night.




When the sun rose the next morning, soldiers didn't want to fight each other. The generals met again and came to an agreement that they would spend Christmas day burying the bodies of the soldiers that lost their lives. Later that day, Anna and Nikolaus decided they would rather spend time together than him fighting and possibly losing his life. The only way they can accomplish that is to become a Prisoner of War to the French.



The movie ends with the letters that were written by the soldiers he previous night, being read by the people who check them before they get sent out. The readers were shocked by what the letters contained and decided to split up the groups of soldiers. The movie ends with the scene of the soldiers being split up and aboarding a train which would transfer them to a different area to fight, because the commanders knew that their would be an issue with the new found friends fighting each other.


The film was produced in 2005. The director was Christian Carion. It was a drama and the most well known actors are Diane Kruger, Benno FÜrman and Guillaume Canet. The movie won the FIPRESCI Prize, Audience Award, and was nominated for the Golden Globe, César Award, BAFTA Film Award, and an Oscar.

Questions:

• Did you enjoy the film? Why or why not?

I really did enjoy the film. It wasn't boring and it had a wonderful story line. There wasn't a plot, but the movie kept you watching. I found it heart-warming how the little area of the soldiers ceased fire for Christmas Eve to enjoy and celebrate. I would re-watch this movie any day

• Was the film aesthetically beautiful? If yes, how so? If not, then why not?

I found the film incredibly beautiful. The scene took place in the winter in Western Europe. The scenes are full of fluffy white snow against a white sky. I also loved the night scene which was a true "White Christmas" filled with lit Christmas trees everywhere and white snow. I also really found the costumes exact and well made. Everything truly looked like it was filmed in the year 1914. The picture quality was very good too.

• How does the film compare to an American film of a similar genre? How is it different?

Joyeux Noel is different because the story line is more peaceful. I also felt that the scenery was a lot prettier in Joyeux Noel than in most American films. In most films it would have been pretty obvious that they used a green screen or fake snow, but in this film it seemed that it was truly filmed in the winter. It is similar because there is a romance that occurs during the movie (between Anna and Nikolaus). I like this film as much or even more than I would compared to an American film.

• What does the film show about the French culture? Be specific!

The film showed that the French find beauty and aesthetics very important and key to movie creating. I also saw that the French appeared to be a little more stand-offish than any of the other troops. For example, the French general was the last to agree to a cease of fire. I also saw that the French like to create movies that are a little more relaxing than the typical action movies that the American film industry creates. It was relaxing to watch such a beautiful movie.

Disiz la Peste

French Rapper

A young photo of Disiz



Sérigne M'Baye Gueye was born March 28, 1978. He is known by his stage name Disiz as the french rapper. As a kid he was a great fan of the French rap groups NTM and IAM. He was discovered by one of the members, Joeystarr, who is in the famous rap group NTM after listening to a sample tape named "Bête de bombe" where his career began.

One of Disez's albums "Serigne M'Baye"

Disiz's first album Le Poisson Rouge came out in October 2000 & included "J'Pète Les Plombs". In 2003, he released his second album Jeu De Société & the following year. He was part of the collective F*** Dat. Itinéraire D'Un Enfant Bronzé came out in 2004 in his real name and was one of his most famous hits.

Disisz performing at the French hip hop awards

Disiz La Peste performs after winning the best hip-hop album of the year award during the 21st 'Victoires de la musique' ceremony (French music awards), 04 March 2006 at the Zenith in Paris. He has not won many awards in his singing carreer but has gained alot of respect fom his fans and listeners from his powerful songs and lyrics.

This rapper, after looking at many songs in american translation, is very strong in his opinions and life stories. Alt of his songs are aout his childhood and growing up also his life now and how hard real life is. His themes in his song are life lessons and pretty much saying that life is hard so work through it.

Jeanne Mas: The French Madonna

Childhood:

     Jeanne Mas was born on February 28, 1958, in Alicante, Spain. She studied languages at the University of Nanterre. After one year of college studying Spanish and Italian, she dropped out at 18 years old and moved Rome. While she was living in Rome, she decided to take up dancing and acting classes. She also started nailing small roles in commercials and advertisements. She soon had her own talk show. Though she was involved in all of this, she knew that true passion was music.

Music Background:

     In 1979, at age 31, Jeanne Mas signed her first contract with RCA Italia. She then released her first single, "On the Moon". She recorded several 45's, one in English, and the others in Italian. After her contract with RCA, she signed one with the Major EMI Music France. She then released her new hit single, "Toute Premiere Fois" in 1984, which sold over 900,000 copies! In 1985, she released her self-titled album, "Jeanne Mas". The next year, she locked herself in a studio in Denmark, already having written her lyrics, to record her new album. She soon came out with "En Rouge Et Noir", which contained her newest hit single "Femmes d'Aujourd'hui", which instantly became a hit. It sold over 1 million copies! She went on tour in 1987, and then in 1988, she took a break from her music and the public eye, and she had a baby girl named Victoria. Then she got back to work on her music. In 1989 she released her new album called "Les Crises de L'ame". The album denounced the violence in the world. 1990 marked the release of "l'art des Femmes", her new album. Then in 1992, she had another baby, a baby boy named Christopher. All of her albums from 1993- 1995 were flops. Her record written in 1996 "Jeanne Mas &les Egoistes" went unnoticed. 

Influences and Inspirations:

     Jeanne Mas was always inspired by crimes against children, her talent, her success, and her life.

Awards:

     She was the winner of the award for Revelation of the Year. She was also the winner of the Best Female Artist of the Year. Both of these awards were won in the same awards ceremony, the very first Victoires de la Musique.

How does your musician's music reflect his or her time period? Was there anything happening in the world or music that influenced the music or sound?

I think it is interesting how she changed the way she looked so much throughout the years. She looks completely different now then she did when she wrote the song above this. She almost looks like she has kind of made herself look more like a country singer on the front of one of her newer albums. At one piont when she was writing she was involved in a dispute against crimes committed to children. She also wrote an album about how violent the world was in 87.

What do other viewers say about the musician in the comments on youtube?

• A superb editing is very successful and very talented. BRAVO! Friends of Alsace.
• It is very well done! I love the video and song! It's fantastic!

Coralie Clement: The Top Classic French Vocalist

     Growing up, music played a huge influence on Coralie Clement's life. Her brother, Benjamin was also a singer, and her father was a clarinetist. By the age of three, she could identify all orchestra instruments. Her inspirations was her brother. Her first album, released in 2001, was recorded of her singing her brother's songs and him playing guitar.



What about your musician's sound do you like? How does the sound affect your mood? What does the sound remind you of?

Coralie has a real talent. Her music is rejuvenating. It's relaxing but it has a nice bubbly happiness to it. She makes a beautiful flourish sound. Her music reminds me of Colbie Caillat or a sound like He is We. It is beautiful. It makes me really think about things. It makes you wonder. It would probably be one of those songs that I would put on my iPod and only play it when I'm studying in my room. It calms me down. She has her own unique genre. It's a mix between classic 60's pop, and soft French romantic pop, like something you may hear at a fancy restaurant in Paris.

What do other viewers say about the musician in the comments on YouTube? Find two comments in French and translate them. 

1. "La vie est belle... Grande chanson, agréable à l'oreille. Merci et meilleures salutations:)"

Translation: Life is good... Great song, it is pleasant to the ear. Thank you and best regards:)

2.  La meilleure musique romantique de tous les temps dans Internet, va te plaire, il est excellent...!!! cette musique me fait rêver ... je suis plus moi quand je l'écoute.

Translation: The best romantic music of all time on the Internet, will please you, it's excellent...!!! This music makes me dream...I am more of myself when I listen. 

Yelle-You Enjoy Life

Childhood- Julie Budet was born and raised in saint-brieuc france.
Music Backround- Julie met producers Jean-François Perrier and Tanguy Destable and made a song originally called "Short Dick Cuizi"and put it up on myspace. It became very popular and it was renamed "Je Veux Te Voir". It hit the charts at number 4 in France for a while and the band became well known. The band was origianlly named YEL for you enjoy life, but had to be changed to YELLE because there was a band already called YEL. Their first album was called Pop Up and was released in 2007 and the band toured the world for three years. They released another album called Safari Disco Club this year and are currently tourning the world once again,
Influences and Inspiration- YELLE is a fruity combination of tecno, 80's, pop and club music all in one. They are influenced by everyone from Soop Dog to Prince.
Popularity/Awards- They became popular through myspace and Katy Perry had them open for her on her UK California Dreams Tour. They were asked to sing in english but refused because they "weren't familiar with the language".

What about your musicians sound do you like? How does the sound affect your mood? What does the sound remind you of?
I like that they can take 8o's and turn it more modern and fun to watch. When i listen to them sing it makes me feel curious about how old they were when they made all of this music. It almost makes me want to try to dance to it. Yelle's music reminds me of stepping back into a fench club in the 80's. I love the beat and tempo of their songs even though i don't understand what they are singing about.